​2017 Chippendale World Art Residency - Finalist!21 August, 2017

We are thrilled to announce that a piece of Duncan Staples Art has been selected as a finalist in the 2017 Chippendale World Art Residency. Check out the online gallery (and vote in the Peoples' Choice!) by clicking on the artwork below:

​The Act You've Known for All These Years... 50 Years of Sgt. Pepper.1st June, 2017

​Thirroul Seaside & Arts Festival, 201723rd March, 2017

The Thirroul Seaside & Arts Festival is upon us once again, and Duncan Staples Art is thrilled to announce that we have a couple of finalists in the Art Prize.

The Opening Night will take place on Friday, 31st March at 7pm at the Thirroul Community Centre, 352/360 Lawrence Hargrave Drive, and will continue until late afternoon on Sunday, 2nd April.

​A New Start for Duncan Staples Art!11th January, 2017

Happy New Year and welcome to 2017 - a year that is politically, socially, culturally and environmentally so loaded with expectation that mild disappointment seems like a noble goal to aim for. And -dammit!- I think we can get there!

It is with this spirit of optimism that we at Duncan Staples Art are mobilising and planning some big changes during the year. While there'll still be the usual paintings and illustrations, we are looking to branch out into new areas that will increase the level of engagement between the audience and the website, and provide new avenues of user/viewer involvement.

But that's all still to come. Watch this space and, in the meantime, enjoy the new British wing of our Landscape page. We hope you enjoy the new paintings.

Chin, chin!​

News - 4th October, 2016St George Art Prize, 22nd Oct - 15th Dec

Duncan Staples Art is pleased to announce that one of our pieces will be displayed in the St George Art Prize 2016.The Opening Night is on Friday 21st October from 6pm at the Hurstville Museum & Gallery (address below), with the exhibition running from 22nd October to 15th December.Click on the randomly selected painting adjacent for a link to the exhibition website.Hope to see you there.​St George Art Prize 2016​Hurstville Museum & Gallery14 MacMahon Street, Hurstville

Massive Props for Propaganda!1st June, 2016

Someone once said that "Propaganda is a much maligned and often misunderstood word. The layman uses it to mean something inferior or even despicable. The word propaganda always leaves a bitter aftertaste".

Memory fails as to who that someone was, though one assumes he went out of his way to avoid association with despicable acts and bitter aftertastes, and did what he could to restore propaganda's good name. But he highlights the essential problem with propaganda: It's not so much that Propaganda is evil, more so that it's own propaganda has failed to convince us otherwise.

So stepping into that ironic, existential void from the moral vacuum of the commercial art world, we here at Duncan Staples Art would like to welcome you to ELECTION '16!

We have decided to take a staunchly non-partisan stance in the name of objectivity, and to keep our options open just in case one of the parties wants to throw some of the millions of campaign dollars this way. Here's a sample for both candidates:

Changing Landscape11th May, 2016

Duncan Staples Art would like to direct you to our New Improved Landscape Page!

The actual Landscapes themselves are much the same, but the the way in which they are presented is totally different as we continue to lead the charge for packaging over content! And by "totally different", we mean the same gallery format as before but repeated more times. That's right - prepare to have your mind blown!

What we've actually done is to categorise the paintings into the locations that initially inspired them - at the moment we have: Sydney, The Illawarra, British Columbia and the tantalisingly exotic Misc. We'll be adding more as the months go by.

So click on the examples below to be transported into a wondrous world of slight webpage alterations!

News Archive

Thirroul Festival, 2016

We are pleased to announce that the Thirroul Seaside & Arts Festival have selected three pieces of Duncan Staples Art as part of their Art Exhibition & Prize for 2016. Click on the image below for a link to the website:

Opening Night starts at 7pm, on Friday, 2nd April and is $20 entry.So come along, enjoy the art, and vote in the Peoples’ Choice ballot - it’s just like a plebiscite without being a colossal waste of time and money!

In the meantime, here are some new pieces for your viewing pleasure.

Brave New World!26th January, 2016

It's the new year, and we at Duncan Staples Art remain as committed as ever to riding the vanguard of visual expression, exploring new and groundbreaking methods of somehow articulating the essentially indescribable mystery, beauty and pain of the human experience. We continue to strive for epiphany, originality and - just maybe - peace of mind.

So here are some memes we've done:

​​

Welcome to 2016!

Rugby World Cup Bandwagon Edition!14th October, 2015

​To celebrate the Rugby World Cup, we here at Duncan Staples Art have decided to name our Best Ever World Cup XV. We were a little hesitant at first, partly because art-based websites naming their greatest XV is such a cliché, but also because it’s impossible to compare players from different eras (amateur and professional), playing under different laws, and calculating the effects of ever-advancing fitness, coaching and analytical technologies.But we did it, and got it exactly right. Click on the Campese for the updates on selections.And please enjoy these new non-rugby pieces.

A Small Show of Support1st August, 2015

Spoiler alert: For those who don't understand how history works, in a decade's time Adam Goodes will be canonized as a great player who had courage in his convictions and pride in his heritage, and everyone will wonder why people - if they weren't being racist - thought it so important to fight for a moral right to hurl abuse at sportspeople. More indigenous players will feel empowered to call out racism and all that booing will only serve to shift Goodes from being merely a great player to being part of our folklore.

That's just how this thing is going to play.

Enjoy these new pieces.

Helping the World Respect Artistry (one sale at a time)!1st May, 2015

Do you respect artistry? I mean really respect it?Some people don’t care. Some people only think they respect it, but are wrong. Others will start asking about whether they, as an audience, are respected in turn and not merely expected to endure the indulgences of a rampant ego or blindly consume any by-numbers product devoid of stimulation or creativity. Those people are idiots who need to quit being so needy and dumb. They don’t know what they want – they need to shut up and take their medicine.Respecting artists and the artistry therein is actually easier than you think. Of course, it isn't just a matter of empty financial success, and nor it doesn’t come through meaningless awards: Respecting artistry is a combination of the two. Fortunately, we here at DSA are here to help the art fan express their “respect”. We have added a new Weddings page should your “respect” take the form of commissioning a wedding gift for friends or as a memento of your own special day. We have also updated The Business page with more examples of commissioned work.And please, don’t hesitate to use our Contact page to notify us of any awards you may want to bestow upon us, no matter how meaningless. It all helps.

Sincere Apologies16th December, 2014

Regular visitors to the Duncan Staples Art webpage would have been waiting with bated breath for an announcement of a Duncan Staples Art event to take place in the new year. Having whipped expectations into a state of fever pitch with such outlandish promises as “actual news” and “a thing that is really happening”, it is our regretful duty to inform you that, due to unforeseen circumstances, we’ve had to cancel our planned exhibition until further notice.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience or disappointment this may have caused. We also thought, in keeping with the spirit of contrition, that this would be a good opportunity to apologize for any falsehoods, inaccuracies or outright lies this website has perpetrated in the past:

In a moment of nationalistic fervour and righteousness, we may have described the respected British critic Waldemar Januszczak as “turd-obsessed” when, as with painters exploring various generic themes and forms, he was less “obsessed” than merely going through a critical “turd phase”.

The title of the painting “Circular Quay (Spring Afternoon)” – while geographically accurate – has for too long covered up the fact that the moment captured was actually in late August. We apologize for misleading the consumer.

We have removed the claim that the artist “took up painting as a form of relaxation in between takes on the set of Cannonball Run II” from the bio page.

The exhibition title “Sprung From Cages” is a Bruce Springsteen lyric and not, as claimed, a phrase stemming from the artist’s heroic rescue of five political prisoners in North Korea [citation needed]. The artist apologises to Mr. Springsteen and withdraws all allegations of the New Jersey troubadour stealing his thoughts.

The slogan “Buy Duncan Staples Art or you will be beaten with a selfie-stick” breached the codes set by the Advertising Standards Bureau with the implication that the purchase of Duncan Staples Art in any way guarantees your protection from being beaten to death with a selfie-stick.

That feels better – enjoy some new art.*

* The term “new” refers to anything within a month of being irrelevant.

ALL NEW Duncan Staples Art!7th September, 2014

It’s been six months since the last update and there was an entire month offline! The general public has worked themselves into a lather of speculation: What happened to Duncan Staples Art? Meltdown? Burn-out? A mysterious motorcycle accident? Rehab? Leadership coup? Boy, at times the general public can be quite over- dramatic and purely hypothetical; spurious as well as completely non-existent – a lethal cocktail indeed.

In truth, the extended hiatus has been due entirely to the creative team. And by “creative” we don’t mean paintings and art and whatnot – we mean “creative” as in our marketing team. Their advice, after extensive market research, is that people were bored of the website, dissatisfied with the product and believed Duncan Staples Art to be languishing behind in its relevancy to the now, and that they had no choice but to recommend a complete rebranding of the website and overhaul of our marketing approach.

These measures seemed to be quite drastic, especially considering that there had been no actual complaints nor, indeed, any real people canvassed in their research. But it was the coveted hypothetical demographic they were worried about – and with good reason. Without wishing to sound paranoid, it’s the possible criticisms of people that entirely imagined that can hurt you the most.

So, with that in mind, it is our great pleasure to unveil the All New Duncan Staples Art!What’s “All New” about it? Well, for starters, we’ve broadened our social media presence. We can now be followed on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, providing even more ways of our audience to connect and abuse!But that’s not all – we have thoroughly modernized our actual process and the factors of production? We’ve been wearing more scarves. Sometimes short-sleeved shirts but with clothes that you wouldn’t expect to see with a short-sleeve shirt. Beard growth is at an all time high, and there are quotas to fill ensuring that, by the year 2016, we will deliver 15% more detachment and become 20% more ironic.And the website itself? Well, really it’s all about this page. Prepare to have your mind blown!Oh – and there are some new paintings.Welcome to the future, comrades!

We are pleased to announce that the Thirroul Seaside & Arts Festival has selected three pieces of genuine “Duncan Staples Art” art for their Art Prize & Exhibition and – after careful examination of their sponsors – we have decided not to boycott the event. The prizes will be announced during Opening Night on Friday 4th, April at the Thirroul District Community Centre. If you’d like to enjoy some art free of Detention Centre links, check out the details are below. Thirroul Art Prize & Exhibition Friday 4th to Sunday 6th April, 2014 Thirroul District Community Centre & Library 352-360 Lawrence Hargrave Drive Opening Night: Friday 4th April, 7.00pm Entrance: $20 For a link to the official website, please click on three of the Peoples’ Choice nominees – again, completely chosen at random.

A Message of Love - Valentine's Edition14th February, 2014

Dear readers,

We here at Duncan Staples Art believe there’s no better way to tell that special someone that you love them than through the utilization and the particular shaping of the mouth, tongue, and vibration of the vocal chords to form the words “I”, “love” and “you” (in that specific order) in compliance with the tradition of oral communication, audible enough to register and in a language that he of she is familiar with.

Or, you could post new art pieces on your website and call it a “Valentine’s Day Edition”.

So take these pieces as a token of Duncan Staples Art’s deep love for all that makes you special – your intelligence, your discerning taste, your compassion, your pure heart, and – if you’re a frequent visitor to this site – your inarguable hotness.

You’re welcome.

Australian Art and the Search for Faecal Purity14th October, 2013

Waldemar Januszczak’s review of the Australia exhibition at the London Royal Academy seems to have drawn a lot of attention here in the antipodes. The Academy has promoted the exhibition as “the first major survey of Australian art in the UK for 50 years”, claiming that it “spans more than 200 years from 1800 to the present day and seeks to uncover the fascinating social and cultural evolution of a nation through its art.” Apparently Januszczak is not a fan. And apparently we here in Australia ought be offended.

By and large, the Australian media coverage appears eager to work away at that chip on our cultural shoulders, impressing upon us the idea of victimhood at the hands of the Empire. Isn’t it just like Gallipoli? Could this be another Jardine using Bodyline to stop Our Don? Might it even be worse – and I don’t say this lightly – than when Stuart Broad didn’t walk when he nicked that ball and, you know, it was a really big edge?

But, I dunno – I’m not feeling it.

Possibly there are reasons to feel insulted. There’s the stock-standard condescension in using a term like “strewth cobber” (three and a half decades in this country – a good chunk of it in rural Australia – and the number of people I’ve heard seriously use either word isn’t enough for a chess game). There’s also the assertion that indigenous Australians engaging in and keeping alive a practice and tradition thousands of years old have “knocked out” these pieces of “tourist tat” in the interests of “making a buck.” Indeed – forty thousand years of waiting and, when the tourist boom finally arrived in 1788, did the indigenous community cash in or what?

But what people seem most up in arms about are the toilet-based criticisms aimed at two of our most prominent painters over the past century. But are they criticisms? Rather than dismiss Januszczak as a critic caught within Freud’s anal-stage, should we not see this as the ultimate commendation of these two artists, however unintended?

The two artists in question are Fred Williams and John Olsen – two of the most distinctive Australian landscape artists of the Twentieth Century. Each have spent a career in studied fascination with the varied terrain of the island continent. And that, if you’ll excuse the term, means shit. As in actual shit. It literally means shit.

To describe Olsen’s Sydney Sun as “evok[ing] the sensation of standing under a cascade of diarrhoea” is to encapsulate the piece in all its fluid, earthy glory. The raw, unencumbered and unrelenting landscapes that have captivated Olsen throughout his career have demanded an irregular, elemental approach – filled with surprises – and actually informs the Romantic in him. In fact, why not throw down? Why not argue that at his most diarrhetic, while getting his hands dirty so to speak, Olsen actually takes the Romantic doctrine beyond anything those Anglo-pussies of the Industrial Revolution ever did with their lame shipwrecks (yeah, I’m talkin’ to you, Joseph Mallord William!) or fog (What’s that, James McNeil? Nocturnes? An icon of modernity? Well, your mum’s an icon of mod… oh wait). Olsen has embraced the purely organic, the regenerating power of nature and found the diamonds in the digested, the excellence in excrement. And I stand by that wordplay.

Likewise, the comparison of a Williams piece such as Yellow Landscape to “thick cowpats of minimalism” is to recognize an artist with his finger firmly on the pulse of the environment he’s depicting, charting the lifeblood and fundamental means of survival within this harsh, unforgiving terrain… Or one assumes that’s what is meant – otherwise it’d be an extraordinary display of the ignorance by a highly paid critic in a high-profile publication.

Because surely The Sunday Times wouldn’t credit an ignorance of the actual physicality of the landscape these artists are depicting, where “minimalism” isn’t an aesthetic choice so much a sheer, bloody reality? Surely they wouldn’t allow an inexplicable failure to recognize that this is an environment where, if you are lost and isolated and happen to step in a pile of crap, you can count that as a blessing. Surely not?

Surely a reviewer and art historian as precise and as detailed as Januszczak – a man who will literally tell his audience what Van Gogh smelled like – is aware of social context? I’ve no doubt that if I was studying a first-year art course at one of Australia’s backwater, provincial universities, and I submitted an essay about the Pre Raphaelites calling them cloying, preachy and aesthetically dull, I would be rightfully told to consider the historical context, the Industrial Revolution, Ruskin and then offer an informed opinion. But, then, I wouldn’t be well-paid critic dismissing McCubbin as “poverty porn”. Would he offer a similar view towards the contributions of Twain, Steinbeck and Faulkner to the American identity? Or would he feel the need to research and contextualize?

And that’s my point: why should Australia be offended? Why should we care? We know the unique and incisive lyricism of Olsen’s work is outstanding. Olsen himself has refused to become Januszczak-Faced about the critique (“You can call it diarrhoea or energy… It just depends on what you ate last night.”) so why should the rest of us? We know that Williams – along with Preston, Drysdale and Nolan – is one of the most daring and innovative landscape painters of the last century (to say nothing of Streeton, Beckett or Boyd). Why is it so important for a turd-obsessed, uninformed British scribe to reconfirm this to us in an exhibition that many critics (British and Australian) have found wanting and, due to its very scope, often reduced to tokenism?

It may be an average exhibition. I’ve not seen it so I don’t know, but its very mission statement almost destines it to be flawed. If it is let’s not pretend otherwise and move on. Some critics may be ill informed or even prejudiced. So be it – why would we want their approval? Aren’t we culturally secure enough to tell our own stories, grapple with our own history, and interrogate our own identity? If the Mother Country approves, then that’s just peachy. But it’s not why we’re artists.

Indeed, after taking in a nation’s cultural output for the past couple of centuries as represented by the Royal Academy’s exhibition, Januszczak “ended up musing the wrong people became artists” in Australia. If we are offended by such comments and take this criticism to heart, then he is right.

Learning to Paint: Part Three21st August, 2013

Choosing a SubjectSo you’ve got your tools and equipment – now it’s time to choose a subject matter and overall theme for your art. Most artists complicate the process at this point and become confused, but it’s really quite easy. Think of the thousands upon thousands of subjects to draw upon, think of what themes and issues interest and stimulate you as an individual. And then ignore them. There are only five subject and themes for painting that you need to concern yourself with:

1) The ocean,2) Sunlight,3) Self-portraiture,4) Boobies, and5) Modern Life.

The first four are no-brainers – the ocean is big and blue, while sunlight is pretty and yellow. So there, right away, you have the themes of “beauty” and “bigness” and two solid colours. Self-portraiture is good because the self is a readily available subject and because the theme then becomes whatever you were thinking about at the time of painting like “identity”, “consumerism” or “gas”; while Boobies speak to all themes of religion, liberty and modernity. They’re good like that.

But 'Modern Life' may need some explanation. I’m not exactly sure, but I think it’s any of the first four subjects minus hope.

Stay tuned for Part 4, “Finding an Audience”.

Learning to Paint : Part Two6th August, 2013

Choosing your paint and brushes.Welcome to part two of what really should’ve been our one-part series in which you – yes you, the internet user! – will learn how to paint like a master. In part one we chose a canvas. Now we need to choose the paint that will be applied to the canvas and the brushes with which we will apply the afore mentioned paint to the canvas. The canvas from part one. Try to keep up.

It may be a tired metaphor but paint comes in all sorts of different colours, just like people. And, also like people, some are just crap. Like cadmium yellow. Stay away from cadmium yellow. It’s the worst. And magenta can be fun, but it’s high-maintenance.

Probably the main thing to remember is that the most expensive paints are unquestionably the best and, ergo, all art done with the best paints will always be better than something painted with cheaper materials. Indeed, when Picasso first unveiled Les Demoiselles d’Avignon in 1907 it was universally panned and viewed as a monstrosity until he also divulged the cost and the quality of the paint he used, upon which it became a masterpiece.

So we’ve got our paint, now we’ve got to get it on the canvas. How this is done will largely depend upon the skill, temperament and metabolism of the individual artist, which requires a period of trial and discovery. The easiest way to determine your own aptitude is to start at the most demanding point – say an intricate detail requiring immense delicacy with the finest of brushes – and work your way back until you are comfortable. If the fine brush is beyond you, use a larger brush. If that brush proves too difficult, use an even bigger one. Failing that, try a pallet knife or a roller. Then move onto your boots and fists in short, sharp jabs. If you feel that your means of expression still remains stifled, throw the canvas to the ground and jump on it. You can always Photoshop it if it doesn’t work.

Congratulations! You are now an artist. Now all you need is a subject.

Stay tuned…

Waverley Art Prize26th June, 2013

We are proud to announce that the 2013 Waverley Art Prize will feature a piece from the Duncan Staples Art assembly line. Come and check out all the finalists or forever mourn the loss of your cultural relevance.

Learning to PaintJune 14th, 2013

Duncan Staples Art has lost count of the number of times strangers have stopped us on the street or in the internet to ask “Hey, where did you learn to paint like that?” Irrespective of tone, inflections upon the word that, or any accompanying mimed jerk-off action, it’s the one constant question we receive from interlocker and internet-troll alike. If we had a dollar for each time we’ve been asked that question, then Duncan Staples Art would actually be profitable.

And so, with that in mind, we here at Duncan Staples Art are happy to present over the coming weeks our four part series Learning to Paint. Or should it be five parts? No, let’s stick with four. Four covers everything.

So please enjoy Part One. Your journey as an artist begins here and over the next three (though maybe only two?) installments.

Part One: Choosing a canvas

Visual Arts can do many things: It can move people emotionally and politically. It can move people economically. It can encapture a desire, a spiritual longing. It can prove to friends and family that you went to some place. It can protect a coffee table from the scalding heat of a teapot.

This all depends on what function you wish your art to perform. Being looked at is one thing, but a true work of art must unlock something within the viewer, communicate and articulate in ways beyond established language, demonstrate a truth hitherto unrealized yet universally acknowledged, or be good for drying dishes.

In determining the function of your art you must start with the canvas – and the term “canvas” could refer to anything rather than just an actual canvas. Wood, paper, board, public buildings… you know, some people may even say the world itself, claiming their very life to be their canvas. But try selling that. No, let’s stick to physical objects. There are many questions you must ask yourself: How big your “canvas” should be, how flammable, how sea-worthy, how absorbent, how criminal and how traceable…

Actually, probably just a canvas is best. Actual canvas.

Next: Choosing paints and brushes

Yeah, Not Bad. And Yourself?7th May, 2013

Duncan Staples Art has been a bit busy of late. There are some new pieces to post, and a new “Friends” page under construction, but right now there’s not that much to report. Be that as it may, we thought we’d quickly check in. Just to touch base. Catch up. So. How’ve you been? What have you been reading? How good is Mad Men? What do you think of the Ashes squad? Alright, it’s been real. Next time we’ll have something to say. In the meantime, here are some new pieces. So.

We are pleased to announce that the annual Thirroul Art Prize & Exhibition - held at the Thirroul District Community Centre & Library from the 5th to 7th of April – have deemed two pieces from the Duncan Staples Art Dream Factory worthy of display. The prizes will be announced at the Opening Night starting at 7pm on Friday, 5th April. The exhibition and, indeed, the Seaside Festival will continue until Sunday afternoon. I’m sure if D.H. Lawrence and Brett Whiteley were still hanging in Thirroul and – you know – not dead they’d be there. So who are you not to go?

Just a reminder that you have until Wednesday, 10th April to pledge your support on Kickstarter forPrivate Bodies, an excellent nude art-photography book by Matt Granger (aka That Nikon Guy). What's in it for you? You mean, other than the book? Well, if you'd click on the photo-strip below (and drop the attitude) you'll find many excellent rewards, including some gen-u-ine Duncan Staples Art inspired by the book. Whaddya want, people? Get to it!

Duncan Staples Art’s good friend and photographer, That Nikon Guy (that’s Mr. That Nikon Guy to you), has just put an art-photography book on Kickstarter.

Private Bodies is a book showcasing “an art photography project that documents people from all walks of life, naked in their own homes”.

You can back the project by pledging money towards the goal of $30 000. You can pledge from $1 upwards – the higher the pledge, the higher the rewards including original Duncan Staples Art inspired by the project.

For more information please click on the images below

Saluting the Cultural Warriors28th February, 2013

It is time for Duncan Staples Art to dip their lid to the brave soldiers who joined us on the frontline for the "Sprung From Cages" exhibition. It was tough going out there, and we lost some good men - some who couldn't handle the intensity of the exhibition, others who couldn't come up with an adequate World XI for the years 1985-99, and the poor souls who perished at the Coogee Bay Hotel after Opening Night... their efforts were not in vain.

So we raise our glasses for all those you showed their support, popped into the gallery, assisted the artist through bouts of cabin-fever, and helped make the exhibition the success and the experience it was. If you want to relive it or need proof that it actually happened, you can check out some pics from "Sprung From Cages" on our new Exhibition Section by clicking here.

"Sprung From Cages" is a collection of figurative paintings aiming to merge the vibrant characterizations of Toulouse-Lautrec, the ephemeral delicacy of Clarice Beckett, the painterly introspection of Hopper, Neel, and Katz, and marry these influences with the snapshot nature of the digital-age, 21st Century identity-building, and a cult of personality industrialized by social media.

Catch it at the blank_space gallery from Saturday 16th-Friday 22nd, February. Check out their website at:

Wow! So here we are – this brave new world known as 2013. Who’d have thought this possible, all those years ago during the humble origins of Duncan Staples Art? It seems an age has passed from the time when Duncan Staples Art was nothing more than a nameless idea, a young man’s dream to obtain an eleven-digit identifier in order to interact more easily with businesses and all levels of government. From there the name – Duncan Staples Art – arrived like a bolt of lightning from some divine power. It seemed so right, so now, so catchy yet with enough gravitas to resonate within the deepest corners of our collective consciousness. The cry echoed across the cultural terrain: “Build a Website!” The domain was conquered and procured, it’s name roared from the rooftops once approved and registered. And then, the piece de resistance: put some paintings and drawings and stuff on it. And now here we are…

Here’s hoping that 2013 will see all of you chase and achieve dreams of a similarly epic scale.

And, while we’re all here, Duncan Staples Art would like to quickly announce that a selection of figurative paintings will be on display at the blank_space gallery in Surry Hills during the week of 16th – 22nd February in an exhibition called “Sprung From Cages”. More details will follow in the coming weeks.

Happy New Year!

Festive Cheer!23rd December, 2013

The Festive Season is upon us and we here at Duncan Staples Art would like to take a moment to reflect.

Year after year, people stop us in the street and ask “O artistic fringe-dweller of society, what is the true meaning of Christmas?”

“That is, if you believe Christmas to have any meaning at all – given the weight of existential dread you continually flaunt like a cat parading around a rat it just killed – and if, indeed, your concept of truth hasn’t been smashed beyond all understanding by our splintered world of disconnect.”

“Or can’t you see beyond your valueless hedonism that you cling to in the face of the void – the yawing chasm between conception and death – as you bury yourself in depravity just to avoid the awful reality, choking on your own pretensions and affectations?”

To which we take a long drag from our cigarillo-filter and reply “Au contraire.”

We wish you all the Compliments of the Season and will drink to the health of you and your loved ones. In the spirit of giving, we hope you enjoy these new depictions of 60s counter-culture icons and nudity.

Another Green Fairy Eggnog, please!

St George Art Awards Peoples' Choice - Final Days!6th December, 2012

We are fast approaching the final week for visiting the St George Art Awards, taking in the culture and voting in the Peoples' Choice Awards. Miss it, and look forward to a year of hating yourself. Or, like us here at Duncan Staples Art, you can see it and eliminate at least one reason for hating yourself.

Ladies and Gentlemen, We've seen the candidates, we've heard what they have to say, and after the endless lobbying, pandering, attack ads, and campaign promise after campaign promise YOU finally have a chance to make a difference. It's finally time for you to HAVE YOUR SAY!

The St George Art Awards will be naming the winner of their PEOPLES' CHOICE AWARD on Thursday, 13th December 2012 and you have until then get down to the gallery and cast your vote. In order to dispel accusations of a conflict of interest, we here at Duncan Staples Art are not going to tell you who to vote for, we merely want to encourage you to exercise your democratic right by voting for, say, one of these three paintings above chosen at random. This is a purely subjective decision and you are free to choose any painting you deem worthy... such as the three random examples below.

St George Art Awards - Opening Night!16th October, 2012

This Friday, 19th October, is the OPENING NIGHT of the ST GEORGE ART AWARDS. Capitals? Coloured writing? Oh yes - we're going there! The winners will be announced and the finalists displayed - including three pieces from the Duncan Staples Art production line.St George Art AwardsOpening Night: Friday, 19th October, 7.15pmHurstville Museum & GalleryAddress: 14 MacMahon St, Hurstville The Exhibition then runs from Saturday, 20th October through to Sunday, 16th December 2012. It'll be just like looking at paintings on the web, but with a faster connection.*

* Depending on how fast your connection is. Obviously.

St George Art Awards5th October, 2012

Duncan Staples Art is pleased to announce that the ST GEORGE ART AWARDS will feature three paintings by this website's resident artist (whoever the hell that is). The opening night and the announcement of the winners will take place on Friday 19th October, 2012 at the Hurstville Museum & Gallery and the exhibition will run from Saturday, 20th October - Sunday, 16th December.

Watch this space for more details or check out the St George Award website http://www.stgeorgeartawards.org.au/home

But in the meantime, here are some paintings to tide you over

Satire! History! Social Commentary! Boobies!15th September, 2012

Duncan Staples Art has all the big issues covered

New Spring Catalogue!4th September, 2012

As the days are warming up, so too are we here at Duncan Staples Art. Looking for something sexy and fun as the Carnival season gets into gear? After something relaxed for the sunny days and elegant for the evening parties? Or perhaps a few artworks that happened to be completed at the beginning of Spring?

Check out these breezy Summer numbers!

Welcome to Duncan Staples Art8th August 2012

How often have you been scouring the internet, wondering why there wasn't a website showcasing the work of Sydney-based artist Duncan Staples? Or why aren't there any websites called "Duncan Staples Art", regardless of content? Well, wonder no more!

Hello and welcome to Duncan Staples Art! And we are genuine in our exclamations!

To state clearly our modus operandi, Duncan Staples Art offers the very best in Duncan Staples Art. Using a technique primarily referred to within Art Criticism as "Visual", this "Art" by "Duncan Staples" can be found in the forms of Figurative Painting & Illustration, Landscape, and Caricature, so feel free to have a wander through the galleries.

Should you wish to purchase or commission your very own Duncan Staples Art, all information can be found on "The Business" page, and you may get in contact with Duncan Staples Art by way of our enigmatically titled "Contact" page.

And continue to watch this space for updates on upcoming exhibitions, art prizes, new artworks, and all your Duncan Staples Art news.

8th August, 2012

"Amazing Anna & Super Sally" - BUY NOW!

Well, at this point there is no news to archive. But you can look forward to the current news - specifically the news that this website has been launched - being archived and being no longer current. That way you can be disappointed that you weren't up on the current news (the news that this website has been launched) when it was relevant.

But that's all in the future.

Now, you may think that having no news to archive would hold us back! Well, you don't know Duncan Staples Art! You obviously haven't kept up with the news! I mean, are you even aware that this website has been launched? The news that will be archived here in a week in so?

Anyway, the point is that while we don't have any news of our own to archive, it doesn't mean we can't archive someone else's news. And then exploit it. So the nation woke this morning to the news that Anna Meares had won Australia's only cycling gold in London by defeating arch rival Victoria Pendleton in the women's sprint; and that Sally Pearson had prevailed in a photo-finish to take gold in the 100m hurdles. Their triumphs became a cause for celebration and a source of inspiration to all of us.

You too can celebrate these historic victories with "Amazing Anna & Super Sally" - a limited edition print capturing both these golden moments. At only $80,000 ($90,000 with fridge magnets) and with only one currently in print, stocks are running out fast so don't delay!

Act quickly and this timeless momento of grace under pressure and bandwagon-jumping could be yours!